Reliable garage/mechanic in Connecticut?

[quk@sievers.com (Phil Payne)]

In message <961220004936_1221831061@emout16.mail.aol.com> Wicozani@aol.com writes:

>   From my previous experience (and knowing about the archived tech messages)
> I have a clue about the rack, windows, and heated seat, but can someone
> educate me about this "fuel distributor"?  The owner quotes a price of
> $1000.00 for a fix (?Bosche unit).  What can I expect to be the natural
> evolution of a problem of this sort, difficulty of self-fix, consequences of
> going unfixed for a while, etc.?  Again, any help would be greatly
> appreciated.

He's refering to the metering head.  It's unusual for the metering head per se 
to cause "cold starting" problems, unless there's something wrong with the way 
it reacts to the control pressure supplied by the warmup regulator.  "$1000" is 
also a lot for dealing with a metering head problem - you can buy a 
reconditioned one here in the UK for around a third of that.  I suspect the 
thousand greenbacks includes some provision for final diagnosis.  It sounds 
more like a stuck or worn warmup regulator to me.
 
The warmup valve is mounted on the other side of the block to the fuel 
injection system - one fuel line takes fuel at system pressure to it, and 
another brings fuel back to the centre of the metering head.  The 
electrical connection is a heater.  The return line is at low pressure when 
the warmup regulator is cold, and at around 3.4 bar when it's hot.  The 
pressure it provides pushes _down_ on the centre plunger of the fuel 
distributor, fighting the force extered _upwards_ by the air mass sensor.  If 
the valve is shot, it _might_ be exerting high pressure when cold. Sticking a 
guage into this line will tell you.
 
There _are_ some repairs you can do to the metering head yourself - there's a 
renovation kit available.  Here in the UK, most garages won't do this because 
the head deals with fuel at up to ten atmospheres and they're terrified of the 
liability issue.
 
If you do decide to fiddle yourself, get the excellent Bentley book on Bosch 
fuel injection systems.  Cleanliness, good working conditions and good tools 
are _essential_ - some of the components are metal-to-metal fittings and the 
pressures are quite high.  Replace all washers, keep everything absolutely 
_spotlessly_ clean.  Observe torque settings.  

--
 Phil Payne
 phil@sievers.com
 Committee Member, UK Audi [ur-]quattro Owners Club